NGC Grouped Mass Design Floral Design

I was playing around with the Grouped Mass Design today and came up with the flower arrangement below.  I'm still unsure about it, so I submitted it to a judge who is in our Club and I'm waiting for her opinion.  So.... what is a Grouped Mass Design???

Grouped Mass Design - a mass design of only plant material with radial placement.
Like material is grouped and placed next to other different grouped material.  Additional plant material may be included, but the proportion of groupings dominate the design.  Plant material emanates from one point of emergence.

The jury is out.... I'll let you know.

The word came back that this is not quite the thing.  I will get a better photo of a Grouped Mass Design to include here.

NGC New Design Type. - Low-Profile

I've been perusing the updated 2017 NGC Handbook. Garden Clubs world-wide follow this handbook very faithfully, even religiously, when they plan a Standard Flower Show or write the schedule for the upcoming Club year.  With the addition and deletion of so many design types, it is rather daunting to remember everything.  I have made a decision to study the five new types and also wrap my mind around the Botanical Arts info in Chapter 10.

The first type I'm studying is called the Low-Profile design type.  It is to be viewed and judged from above.  The other factors are:  It is to be a three-dimensional design incorporating three or more design techniques, and the completed design must be at least four times as long and/or wide as it is high.

Our Club had Jane Vandenburgh as a speaker in the Spring.  She is a very gifted designer and she focused on creating some of these new types for us.  I was lucky enough to win the low-profile design.  The pic with the purple clematis is the one Jane did... in the second one, I added stones, new leaves, and different yellow flowers to enter it in our Club's Garden Tour design exhibits in April.  The dimensions obviously match the rules.  And, as you look at the photos, you will see she has used bunching, leaf manipulation and a strong line.  When I changed it, I used the identical techniques, but added stones in the tray for texture.  The last picture you will see is one I got off of the internet.  It is so very simple.  It shows you the design does not have to be a rectangle to be an effective low-profile flower arrangement.

Floral Design .... Containers Matter

In the Garden Club World there are over thirty different floral design types.  They range from simple to very complicated.  The balance between filled space and empty space varies with the design type, but any designer will tell you they both are equally important. Just as important as the structure, balance, depth, color, texture, etc. is the container that is used in the flower arrangement.  It sets the tone for the entire creation. It is the anchor of your art. (Don't be deceived.... a floral design is a very personal piece of artwork).

The container needs to match the design type given in the schedule, or if you are making a centerpiece for your home, it must certainly be a low to the table arrangement.  The greens and the flowers must not interrupt the line of vision.  As with any hobby or artistic endeavor, you must collect the things that are necessary for your craft.  Containers may be homemade or bought.  Homemade versions, for example, are clean tuna cans spray painted black or any color you choose. The other end of the spectrum is to buy them from potters or welders.  These tend to be pricey, but they are coming from artists as well.

Below are some photos of designs that were created using the perfect container for the type.  Enjoy.

Frances Thrash RCGC Floral Designer

The Richmond Council of Gardens held their year-end luncheon last week at the Meadowbrook Country Club in Richmond, VA. The design program was by Frances Thrash of Virginia Beach. Frances is the president of the Richmond Designers Guild, a Flower Show Judge as well as an instructor in the Floral Basic Course. As you will see, she is very talented and creates a fun dialog as she creates her designs. She demonstrated several types of designs including a few new ones recently published the NGC handbook. I know you will enjoy the photos and appreciate her artistic eye.

Chester Garden Club creates centerpieces

The Chester Garden club met to create floral design centerpieces for the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs year-end luncheon. Pat Merson, 1st. VP of RCGC, and chair of the event asked the club to provide the designs this year. Rita Johnson, the 1st VP of CGC, created a design and brought it to show us as an example. Ten members met the day before and created them for the Council. Below is a picture of Rita's design and photos of club members.

Floral Designs from the Garden Club - Garden Tour

When the Chester Garden Club decided to host a Garden Tour this Spring, the Club thought it would be a good thing to have displays of horticulture and floral designs at the Parish Hall to showcase our club's activities.  All submissions were on a volunteer basis and the plant material had to be grown by the club member.  In a previous post I show pics of a small portion of the horticulture that was exhibited.

We had eight ladies volunteer to make floral designs.  What a remarkable showing we had and they each one were beautiful.  The designer was given free reign to do whichever type she wanted.  We had an angular design, several creative designs, and the new design titled "Low Profile".(one of the new design types listed in the NGC Handbook - its created to be viewed from above). Enjoy the photos.

"Chester Garden Walks" Garden Tour April 23, 2017

The Chester Garden Club hosted a Garden Tour yesterday highlighting five local gardens.  Even though the day was overcast with a few sprinkles, every person raved about the beauty of each garden.  The gardens were: The Fox Garden, The Morgan Garden, The Hawkins Garden, The Griffin Garden and the Memorial Garden at St. John's Episcopal church.   More photos will follow about each garden.

At St. John's Parish Hall the Club offered a display of floral designs and horticulture from their own gardens.  Each specimen was perfect and well staged.  The following are pics of the submissions.

Easter Floral Designs for home or altar

We have such a great opportunity to create beautiful flower arrangements for Easter.  Most of us can grab a few things from our gardens, add a flash or dash from the florist and have a lovely design for Spring.  Maybe you can get inspiration from the following designs.  Think outside the box and you will come up with a masterpiece of your own.  All of the photos are pics I found on a website from the UK. The link is flowerarranging.me.uk. It is one of my favorite sites... I know it will be one of yours too.  I hope you have a wonderful, blessed Easter.  He is Risen!